Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is a sweet-and-savoury, Asian-inspired dish that pairs crisp pieces of chicken with a fragrant orange sauce. The chicken, usually deep-fried or stir-fried, is coated in a sauce of orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar, striking a balance between sweetness and acidity. Garlic and ginger add a warm, spiced note, while a drizzle of sesame oil deepens everything. It is usually served with rice and finished with sesame seeds or strips of orange zest for a final splash of colour.
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken breast
- 150 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 egg
- sugar, salt, baking powder, starch, flour, oil
- oyster sauce
Method
Chicken
- Cut the chicken into medium-sized cubes.
- Marinate the chicken with 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp starch and 2 tbsp water.
- Add half a beaten egg and mix everything together. The other half is for the batter.
- Set aside
Sauce
- Squeeze about 150 ml of orange juice. Do not throw the oranges away afterwards.If it tastes too sharp, add a little sugar.
- Stir in 1 tbsp oyster sauce and mix well.
- Set aside.
Thickener
- In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp starch and 3 tbsp water.
- Mix and set aside.
Garnish
- Take two oranges. Halve them, then cut them into thin slices.
- Take the oranges you squeezed for the sauce and scrape out the remaining flesh so only the peel is left.
- Take the peel of one orange and cut it into fine julienne strips.
- These will go into the pan later to add extra flavour.
- Set aside.
Batter
- In a bowl, combine 3 tbsp flour, 1 tsp starch, 1 tsp baking powder and 6 tbsp water. Whisk until no lumps remain.
- Add the remaining half egg and 1 tbsp oil, then mix.
- The finished batter should be neither too runny nor too thick.
Frying
- Pour enough oil into your pan for the chicken to be completely submerged.
- For the first fry, heat the oil to 140°C.
- Pour the batter over the pieces of chicken and toss to coat.Make sure the pieces are not stuck together when they go into the oil.
- Fry the chicken in two batches so you do not overload the pan.Fry until the chicken is lightly golden.
- For the second fry, heat the oil to 200°C.Fry until deeply golden and crisp.
Final cooking
- Oil a pan, turn the heat to high and add the orange julienne.
- Pour in the sauce.
- Medium heat: add the thickener
- Stir until the sauce thickens.
- High heat: add the fried chicken and toss to coat.
- Plate up with the thin orange slices.
